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With growing attention to Nepal and the Himalaya region, the Sherpa community comes into focus. When you think of a sherpa, what comes to mind? You might picture him on a snowy mountainside, wrapped in a down jacket, braving the cold winds of the Himalaya, complete with a dizzying display of ropes and metal tools slung from his harness. All of these images aren’t...

The Nepalese government recently granted a climbing permit for a Japanese climber to climb Mt. Everest, the world’s tallest mountain. In the past few months, climbing was put on hold in Nepal, at least for the bigger 8,000 m+ peaks. After the plunge of tourism due to the May earthquake, this re-opening of the mountain may mean an increase in tourists for the mountain’s...

Farther Away by Jonathan Franzen – I’d never read any of Franzen’s fiction, but based on this collection of nonfiction essays, there’s no doubt his voice is descriptive as it is powerful – comparable to voices like Eggers and Wallace. My favorite essay, so far, has to be the book’s namesake, “Farther Away.” It was published originally in The New Yorker, and takes place in...

In search for the perfect daypack… I’ve been looking for a daypack that’s both packable (able to be folded and stuffed inside my bigger 65L bag) and light, without sacrificing support or comfort. I’ve cycled through a couple that just weren’t the right “fit.” Some were either too bulky (REI Stoke 29), or too light (REI UL 18 – this one actually tore at the seam)....

There’s an infinite amount of ways to get info about dressing for backpacking. Many articles, magazines, and guidebooks have loads of good tips and advice for dealing with the elements. But many of these pieces vary with the season – you’ll see articles like: ‘The Best Fabrics For Summer’ or, ‘Winter Layering’. I could get into the many sub-sects of dressing for the outdoors;...